Curt

Ok, maybe not the most pressing need, but it’s what we were talking about.

Yeah, any guy taken in top had better have work ethic, but I bet not all of them do have a great one. I would argue that work ethic, attitude and competitiveness are skills. What’s the relevance of Brayden Point? He does play with an edge, IMO.

Who are the 3 guys you want to play at LD then? Dahlin, McCabe, and ...............? You want to play Montour out of position again? Bring Scandella back? Play Jacob Bryson? Right now, there are only 2 LD on the roster.

I don’t get your meaning. Will Lundell end up a better passer than those more dynamic passers that I listed?

Who are the 3 LD who you would like to play?

Yeah, he is. He just isn’t as dynamic a playmaker as some other top prospects, such as Lafreniere, Rossi, Raymond, Perfetti, Stutzle, Jarvis.

Ugh, I’m sure he put thought into it. With a 10 team list and 30 other teams, you can’t put on every team that might make a trade.

Lundell you are talking about? He was 18, really 17 most of the season. Was he the #1 C on his team? He sure wasn’t the top scorer. More like the 7th leading scorer.

I think if Raymond was playing in the CHL, he would lit it up while playing a good 200 ft game and producing a cool highlight reel. He would have been able to show more impressive skill against 16-20 year olds instead of the 30 yr old men he played against. And of course, produced more inspiration.

I think in situations like this, the player makeup and hockey IQ really comes into play. I do think that Lundell has a little less playmaking skill and skating than some others guys. The question is, will his hockey IQ be good enough that he will be able to keep making all the right decisions as the game speeds up around him? Will he have to work ethic to improve that skating? If the answers are no, you end up with a Lazar or Zacha. If yes, you end up with a O’Reilly or Kopitar. In my opinion, drafting Lundell is betting on his hockey IQ and work ethic.

Going off this theoretical idea of what Adams wants: I don’t know if any of the projected top-10 type picks have shown themselves to have work ethic issues, however, I do think certain guys stand out for their on ice work ethic/edge. Lafrenière, Rossi, Raymond, Lundell, Jarvis are the Forwards I would highlight as excelling in these areas.

Why? His best skills are PP, which Buffalo doesn’t need. Buffalo needs someone steady on defense who can contribute on the PK. I don’t see him as a good fit.

That’s why I compared him to Hossa/Alfredsson instead of Jagr. You asked if that’s what I thought his ceiling was. I do, although it’s unlikely that he reaches that level. Just as it’s unlikely that most players reach their absolute ceiling. I also said the comparison was more instructive as to player type than a prediction of exactly how good Raymond will be. I guess this is why player comparisons kinda suck.

Didn't say he wasn’t.

I think he will be stronger than Marner. I hope he shows Marner’s puck skills in the NHL! I just wanted to point out that he is not a low effort or offense only type of player. He is a hard working, 200 foot player who can play in all situations.

Sure, why not? He is a very good prospect with a very high ceiling. He is one of the top 5 prospects IMO. Of course it’s unlikely. It would be a result of him exceeding expectations. My player examples were more to demonstrate the TYPE of player he could become. Skilled, point producing, defensively responsible winger who you want on the ice in all situations. I don’t know if he will be as good as those two guys, but I think he could be.

No idea. I wouldn’t have any insight into what Adams is thinking about the top draft prospects. Who even said that he is targeting hard working type prospects? It’s just speculation, right?

He has pissed off Ovi, but is that a good thing? Go look at Ovi’s numbers vs Buffalo. You day he has pwned Ovi? I say he bites off more than he can chew.

Regarding Raymond and what you implied as a perceived lack of sacrifice or effort. He doesn’t lack in those areas, he excels in them. In addition to being very skilled, he is a diligent 200 ft player, and he came into his just started season having worked hard in the time off, adding a lot of muscle. I think of his ceiling as a Marian Hossa/Daniel Alfredsson type of complete winger. I would be excited to draft him at #8.

What players in the draft do you view as more than JAGs? What guys are worth selecting at #8?

Yeah, I’ve seen multiple places/people projecting Raymond/Holtz because Buffalo “really likes Swedes”. Sort of a head scratcher. I would just dismiss stuff like that. I don’t think anyone has a handle on what Buffalo likes just yet, but they still need to print something.

September 15 is cut off. Rossi was only 8 days away.

I’ve been feeling increasingly despondent and hopeless regarding the presidency and upcoming election. I feel like it’s either 4 more years of pushing further into authoritarianism, or it’s going to be declarations of illegitimate results, incited riots, and refusals to leave office. I think New York State should drop all charges against Trump and his associates. There needs to be a nice safe path for him to leave office. They shouldn’t leave him no way out. It’s dangerous.

See, a lot less than 2. Not 5 years like you wanted though. I’m glad he is back.

It doesn’t make much sense financially right now. Maybe next offseason. Final season starts to make sense. As long as Okposo is a decent bottom 6 RW, I probably wouldn’t. Especially with it being a weak position in Buffalo right now.